Boxing
Hype fatigue grows as the world waits for the Fury-Usyk fight in distant Riyad
Published
7 months agoon
By
J. HumzaTyson Fury didn’t bother to face Oleksandr Usyk at the end of the press session for the undisputed heavyweight championship in Riyad, Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
“God bless him,” Tyson Fury replied from the top table of the final post-fight press conference with Oleksandr Usyk, as he was encouraged to send his opponent a “last message.”
“Before we leave, I’m going to pray for him that we both get the ring out in one piece and go home to our families,” the 35-year-old continued, “because that’s what it’s all about.”
It remains unclear whether Fury, starting the week with the biggest fight of his career, was asked about the recent tragic death of British pro debutant Sherif Lawal. In many ways it is also almost irrelevant. When he found himself in the soulless Saudi city of Riyad at 10 p.m., what else could he have said?
He and Usyk were repeatedly asked about each other before and after Fury’s victory over Francis Ngannou at the same venue in October, ahead of their fight in December 2023. They were repeatedly asked about each other again, until their boss the February deadline was pushed back, and since then they have repeatedly answered questions about themselves.
Their paths crossed on Monday at the luxurious Hilton Hotel, when they conducted countless interviews. They spoke again at a gigantic event Tuesday night at BLVD City, perhaps the least evocative entertainment center that exists in the Middle East. Twenty-four hours later, on the same stage they “came to”, they held open training sessions – and another 24 hours later, they returned to the same place, sitting at the top table of a press conference aimed at publicizing them to fight again.
It was repeatedly mentioned that 25 years had passed since the last undisputed heavyweight title fight, that Lennox Lewis and the equally great Evander Holyfield were fighters involved, and even that Emanuel Steward – from the same Kronk Gym as Sugahill Steward, Fury’s trainer on Saturday – was involved. The places where Lewis and Holyfield – who traveled to Riyadh – fought were much less frequently mentioned, and that may be because their rematch in Las Vegas and first fight at Fresh York’s Madison Square Garden offer a story richer than God. Saudi Arabians would not be allowed to buy.
If Fury’s reluctance to become a showman on Thursday night, as an almost unprecedented number of broadcasters hope, is a reflection not only of his respect for Usyk but also his focus, then those around them will seem weary of the almost endless noise.
A sufficiently compelling fight in a real fight city – Vegas and Fresh York stand out – often guarantees a sense of momentum and mounting energy and anticipation that fight promoters rarely have to try strenuous convincingly. Fury-Usyk is the most crucial fight in a quarter of a century, but those involved – not helped by Riyadh’s distance from cultures where major fights are the most crucial – seem to be running out of ideas.
None of this will matter in the early hours of Sunday morning when two of the world’s top heavyweights – evenly matched and intriguingly even – will stand in opposite corners of the ring at the Kingdom Arena awaiting the opening bell. Riyad will forever be the site of a major competition – and perhaps the only one with the resources and ambition to make it happen – but unlike when Fury fought Deontay Wilder in Los Angeles in 2018, and his promoter Frank Warren would be elated to detect both tension and anticipation growing, those present in 2024 admit that there is basically no such thing in Riyad.
Usyk and Anthony Joshua weren’t even considered two of the top heavyweights in the world when they fought in London in 2021, but it’s certain that Usyk was enjoying the occasion at the impressive Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The sense of post-pandemic catharsis and celebration from the 66,287 in attendance created an unforgettable atmosphere in his finest hour; it also, to utilize one of Riyad’s redundant boxing clichés, featured him entering the lion’s den.
He did the same three years earlier in Moscow, when he won so fluently against Russian Murat Gassiev in the face of almost unparalleled hostility, and even in his 2022 rematch with Joshua in Jeddah – also in Saudi Arabia – he fought for the first time since Russia launched its murderous invasion of his country and may have pushed his determination to an all-time high.
In 2024, the atrocities Russia is committing in Ukraine will be less newsworthy to those outside its borders and will not become the dominant narrative around Fury-Usyk in Saudi Arabia due to the openly positive relationship between Vladimir Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman .
If the Fury-Usyk show had been held in a more dignified venue, it wouldn’t have changed the almost unparalleled charm that will exist when they finally – at a time when they are still competitive and close to their extraordinary peaks – reach the ring. But if that were the case, the final days ahead would be unforgettable and, for many involved, pleasant rather than unforgettable and worth living.
On Friday, Fury and Usyk will evaluate, may or may not look at each other when asked to fight, and will also feel the tension and some nerves that are inevitable on the eve of their biggest fight.
They will then be asked to speak again and will likely again have very little to offer, mainly because Riyad as a fighting site has so little to offer, and also because for the fourth time in four days they will again be standing in the same uninspiring place.
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Boxing
Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor is looking forward to 2025
Published
12 hours agoon
December 18, 2024Fighting for the first time with the full support of his promoter, Salita Promotions, undefeated Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor later said he was confident and confident he could do well in boxing.
Taylor (5-0, 3 KO), 28, defeated KeShawn Jackson last Thursday night in Flint, Michigan, fighting in an exhibition put on by his promoter in which he recorded an impressive third-round stoppage to finish his 2024 campaign on a high. year note.
“It was good to fight on a bigger stage, in a compact arena, in a nice atmosphere,” Taylor said about his first fight with a promotional contract. “My manager, Keith Sullivan, supported me by agreeing to sign with Salita Promotions. He talked to several promoters, but we felt that Dimitri Salita would be the right candidate for me.
“I felt like I had succeeded; I felt essential, but that was just the beginning. It was the same on fight night, I felt respect and appreciation from the entire Salita promotional company. My goal is to be a more recognizable player and be recognized by the fans. I’m hungry to perform in the coming year.”
“Four knockdowns were counted. I really hurt him with a body shot and when he felt my power he was done. I threw a barrage of punches into the corner (ss photo below) and he tried to hit me with a windmill punch. Then I hit him with a check hook, which ended the fight. He (Jackson) didn’t want to get knocked out, so he tried to show he was still fighting.”
“Of course,” Sullivan commented, “I’m joyful with the victory. This was another developmental fight and Pryce is learning and developing as a fighter. We had a busy year with 8 fights scheduled and 5 that actually crossed the line, so it was a very good first year for him as a pro. Right after that, I talked to Dimitri to arrange the next fight. We hope to have it scheduled in the coming weeks.”
Looking ahead to 2025, Taylor wants his next fight to be a six-rounder scheduled for his next outing, then move up to eight to fight for the junior title.
“I will now train to play 10 rounds,” Taylor concluded, “so that I will be ready when it comes time to play 12 rounds.”
Boxing
AI referee ‘free from bias and human error’ during audit of Usyk vs. Fury 2 match
Published
1 day agoon
December 17, 2024Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury on Saturday night will go down in history for several reasons, but now there are more of them than any other.
Turki Alalshikh has confirmed that the Usyk vs. Fury 2 fight will be supervised by an AI referee in a first-of-its-kind boxing event. Artificial intelligence statistics are nothing recent in sports and have been developed for years by companies such as JABBR, which claim that “technological progress eliminates elements of human error from sports.”
AI referee overseeing the Usyk vs Fury 2 fight
Riyad’s season leader, Alalshikh, has taken the first step to ensure the future of the sport where all boxers who deserve to win receive their reward. The fourth scorer will only be present this time to check the score, but if he proves successful, he may become a indefinite player in the sport.
Explaining his intentions, Alalshikh said: “For the first time in history, the fight will be monitored by an artificial intelligence referee. [The judge will be] Free from bias and human error, which The Ring offers you [his recently purchased magazine].
“This groundbreaking experiment, which will have no impact on official results, will debut during the biggest fight of the century, Usyk vs. Fury 2, on December 21. Don’t miss the history in the making,” he added.
The news came during the Grand Arrivals event, which featured a monumental clash that will see Usyk and Fury fight for a unified heavyweight crown at the Kingdom Arena. Usyk [20-0, 13 KOs] puts his WBC, WBA and WBO belts on the line against former two-time heavyweight champion Fury [33-1-1, 24 KOs]. The highly anticipated rematch will take place on Saturday, December 21, worldwide on DAZN PPV at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Usyk vs Fury card information updated
Former interim WBC 154-pound titleholder Serhii Bohachuk [24-2, 23 KOs] Now he will face British boxer Ishmael Davis [13-1, 6 KOs] in a 12-round super welterweight fight after Israil Madrimov was forced to withdraw due to illness.
Rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma [22-0, 10 KOs] and his opponent, Australian Demsey McKean (22-1, 14 KO), are ready to fight. Undefeated Johnny Fisher [12-0, 11 KOs[ squares off against former Commonwealth title challenger Dave Allen [23-6, 18 KOs].
Meanwhile, former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Peter McGrail [10-1, 6 KOs] takes over from Rhys Edwards at the last minute [16-0, 4 KOs] in a super featherweight fight. Isaac Lowe is also on the bill [25-2-3, 8 KOs[ will face Lee McGregor [14-1-1, 11 KOs] in a featherweight fight.
Daniel Lapin completes the card [10-0, 4 KOs]in which he will face another undefeated lightweight champion prospect, Dylan Colin [14-0, 4 KOs]and heavyweight knockout artist Andrii Novytskyi [14-0, 10 KOs] will face Edgar Ramirez [10-1-1, 4 KOs].
As is the tradition of the season, Riyad will feature local talent as Mohammed Alakel looks for a 2-0 win over Joshua Ocampo [8-33-5, 6 KOs].
Boxing
Billy Dib wins the final battle after a successful battle with cancer
Published
3 days agoon
December 16, 2024Former two-time world champion and cancer survivor Billy Dib won an eight-round super lightweight farewell bout against Game, the brave but outclassed Atilla Kayabasi.
The Z’s, aka all-time greats Carlos Zarate and Alfonso Zamora, brought “Billy The Kid” to the ring accompanied by the sweet tones of Frank Sinatra singing My…what else? Adolescent Bridger Walker performed Round Card duties between rounds.
Billy gave us a virtuoso performance, making Atilla’s face turn red with every strike on the book. The gulf of experience and a cascade of blows would have defeated a weaker man, Atilla survived it. Billy raised his hand moments before the bell rang to end the eighth and final round.
By winning his last fight, the WBC Champion of Hope achieved the impossible. He and Atilla embraced, and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman entered the ring to say: “This is an extraordinary dream come true. Now we welcome Billy outside the ring.”
Dib said, “Alhamdulillah, I won and left on my own terms. There’s no better way to close this chapter. Thank you to Mauricio Sulaiman, my wife, my son Laith, my family and my amazing fans for all the love. I dedicate this victory to Israel Vázquez, every cancer warrior, and to my brother Vames.”
Billy brave. Billy the fearless one who fought against the darkest and most pressing adversities. Our tears of joy and admiration for the Hero who always smiles, even in the darkest hour, before the dawn.
The results of the glorious fight night organized at the 62nd World Boxing Council Convention at the Grand Elysee Hotel saw several hard-fought fights for the WBC championship from nuclear to heavyweight.
In the main fight of the evening, WBC super flyweight champion Asley González successfully defended her title against Mary Romero.
The more compact and harder-hitting Asley pursued a longer-armed, short-haired opponent who was constantly spinning in retreat.
There was some heated exchanges when they came together, but the lasting combinations came from Asley, who actually got caught with some tough, but single, solitary rights. Her level of work, more precise, concise beam punches and high-pressure fighting forcing Mary to constantly retreat won UD over.
Tough-hitting southpaw striker Mourad Aliev defended his WBC International Silver heavyweight title with a sixth-round KO victory over Davide Brito. Physically more imposing, Mourad made contact and often.
In the third round, David suffered a nosebleed and his mouthguard was broken, causing him to fall from one side of the ring to the other. He tried to fight back sporadically, but in round six he was trapped on the ropes and dropped by a massive right hand. Everything is over.
Serkay Comert won the WBC International silver title by defeating Yassin Hermi via UD. In the third round, it turned into an all-out war, which continued into the next round.
Serkay often struggled against the ropes and landed frequently. Yassin’s face swelled and in the sixth round a series of punches landed on him, and before the eighth round the ring doctor looked at him for a long time. He fought tough but got hit, especially down the stretch.
Ermal Hadribeaj won the MD title by defeating Eddy Colnenares to win the WBC International super welterweight belt. The lanky, much taller Eddy, who has the reach of an albatross, was shaky for the first three rounds. He then came to life and there was a lively exchange of words.
Southpaw Ermal was constantly jumping and weaving to avoid those long ramrod arms. He was more concerned with getting the win.
Benjamin Gavazi defeated Branimir Malencia in the tenth and final round to win the WBC international silver featherlight heavyweight title. Ben was catching Bran with right hands and various uppercuts. While Bran tried to crowd him and deal damage from head to toe. Two left-right headshot combinations in round ten convinced Bran to throw in the red towel at 1.41. So… TKO.
Esneidy Rodriguez defeated Sana Hazuki via UD for the WBC Silver Atomweight belt. The taller Suri tried to keep him at bay, but was relentlessly pursued by the more compact and powerful and grimly determined Esneidy, who landed several piercing combos and uppercuts. Suri had some success with long straight rights, but paid the price when Esneidy negated the range.
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